Melissa and Doug's Basset Hound is part of our dog-training strategies

The Basset Hound just Wants to be Friends

Who is that strange dog over yonder by the neighbor’s mailbox? Let’s go chase it away – we really don’t trust its looks and it’s sneaky hiding behind that mailbox. Mom, you take care of it, I’ll just stay here and watch.  

The idea behind using realistic-looking stuffed animals for dog training was offered by our dog’s behaviorist. It’s supposed to accustom Cooper to other dogs and unsettling situations. Most people buy stuffed animals for children but I heartily recommend a few for a special class of nervous fur children – anxious dogs. 

A lonely dog snoozes day-in and day-out in the large dog carrier hidden in an out-of-the way room, it’s a dog that requires no play time, food, scooping after or walks but oddly beckons to everyone who passes – please play with me. This dog was not bought for a child, nor an adult who was missing a dog, but to help condition our rescue dog Cooper’s fears of strange dogs. It was selected for realism, and every time I pass it the plush Melissa and Doug Basset Hound startles me, as well as Cooper who always conducts a double-check sniff. 

The Behaviorist, The Language of Dogs, and How to Improve Communication

Low Levels of Stress in Dogs Beg for their Human's Attention

Cooper before - I don't trust this dog.

A rescue dog joined the family bringing with him a collection of emotional and insecurity issues, they always do, and knowing what to expect and watch for requires careful observation but also a different way of interpreting their signals. If only they could tell us about their specific fears. What is your new dog saying? Are you listening and responding to its concerns? 

Possibly not and you may be surprised to know how much they’re telling you.

Even though I’ve had three Labrador retrievers, two joining us as young puppies and one as an adult rescue, the recent rescue lab mix quickly lost confidence in my ability to understand his messages. We weren’t gaining ground but instead retreating and he was shutting down. It wasn’t until after working with a dog behaviorist that I began to more correctly interpret his body language. The therapist urged me to watch, as if studying it for an exam, Sarah Kalnajs’ video, The Language of Dogs. Then we practiced walking, watching and re-learning communication strategies. 

How to Identify Dog Stress Before It Escalates

Midwest Life Stages Crate

Puppy Gets Crate Trained the Easy Way

Locking up my dog in a crate will never happen; our dog needs to be part of the pack. That’s what I used to say until lessons with a young blond lab taught me otherwise. Now, "Our dog goes willingly and enthusiastically into a crate and it's the best training we've ever done." 

Many misconceptions about crates exist.

I can't debunk those but I will recommend a crate and explain why. Based upon our experience and my vet’s recommendations I urge everyone adopting a puppy to invest in the Midwest Life Stages Double Door Crate. 

The Life Stages crate has a divider that allows re-sizing the interior for growing puppies. If there's too much space inside y bed inside her small, well-defined space. She was in there at night, when she needed to resour puppy will try to relieve herself in a remote corner. We placed a small dogt, and when I needed her safely from under foot or secured when away from home. She never relieved herself in the crate. We let her outdoors frequently through the day and during the night. Within two weeks she was housebroken. As she grew we moved the divider back to accommodate her larger size. The divider is a snug fit and can be a little challenging to reposition, but this also means my puppy couldn't move it. 

The crate has two doors, on the end and one side. Both doors have double slide latches. The crate is coated with a black satin electro-coat finish—I've seen no signs of any of the finish